**PLEASE DO NOT EXPECT ME TO REALIZE WHEN YOU EDIT YOUR PLACEHOLDER. I really have no clue, notify me in some way. Whether it be on IRC, PM, making a seperate post with the actual write up -- whatever. This only applies if someone posts between the time you make your placeholder and the time you are ready to post it, however.

1. Post to say what you are reserving before you start writing. Don't just post a bunch please, you may be working on something someone else is. This goes for everyone, don't just PM somebody or say something on IRC without a placeholder.

2. Try to limit the number of Pokemon you are reserving. Two is probably a good guideline, but if you know you'll get them done in a timely fashion and have a good reputation within C&C for doing work then you can perhaps reserve some more. There isn't really much need to have 10 reserved with none actually posted though, it just slows it down as less people are able to help out. Also, you have one week to finish writing from the moment you reserve. Come on, it's a paragraph. It can't be that hard. If after a week, it remains unwritten, I will mark it as Unreserved again. If you request an extension from me(with a good reason) I'll give it to you.

3. Suggestions for other Pokemon to include are welcome. If you think a Pokemon that is not on there is worthy just post why in your reservation post.

4. This one may seem a bit harsh and/or obvious, but please don't post if you don't know anything about DPP OU. It's great if you want to help, but the quality is a lot higher if you have a large amount of metagame knowledge. Don't worry, I'm not too picky. If it is accepted you will simply be added to the OP, I will try to only post after quite a few updates or a rejection. Please do not expect a post accepting every reservation.

5. Please do not grammar check these until they are done; they still will have content revisions most likely. Also, the main priority is to get the writing done for now. Organization within the threatlist will be taken care of later.

The Pokemon that are up for grabs / taken are listed below. If a Pokemon is taken I will update the OP with the name of the person who has it reserved in bold (Vaporeon - Jellicent, for instance).

If any DPP approval peeps (It's not QC? Not sure what you're called >.>) feel a writeup is not up to par or flat out incorrect, feel free to inform me or the writer. If a Pokemon on the list deserves to be removed, or one not on the list deserves to be added, just let me know. I based this off of all the Pokemon that have DPP OU analyses (besides Kakuna, lol), so it should be accurate, but you never know. Also, if something is only listed as offensive or defensive, and happens to be both, just tell me and I'll change it up.

Each writeup shouldn't take too long to do, so please don't procrastinate. I can understand wanting to test out a set or two to get reacquainted with how the Pokemon works, but these aren't analyses and don't require a huge amount of work. Obviously, only reserve a Pokemon you've played with and feel comfortable writing up in a timely fashion.

Finally, that great Komodo quote:

fat Komodo said:

guys, can we make this sound more like a threat list, and less like a bunch of overviews. The whole point of a threat list is to stress WHY a Pokemon is threatening, not what's bad about it. Why would we make a team to beat a particular Pokemon if you're going to say 'it has poor Special Defense'. Say what's GOOD about a Pokemon you're writing about, and why it makes an impact in the tier. Telling us its flaws isn't going to help us that much, because we need to know what it can do, and why it does it well. I'm not saying to show off about a terrible Pokemon, but make it sound as if it's a positive, rather than a negative. Use this as a guideline, because THIS is what a threat list is supposed to look like.

RMT Leader

Hi, I'm gonna test out the waters by only reserving one pokemon at first, I'd like to reserve Tyranitar.

Also I'd like to point out something that's probably a mistake:

Hide(Move your mouse to the hide area to reveal the content)Show HideHide Hide

fat rules said:

4. This one may seem a bit harsh and/or obvious, but please don't post if you don't know anything about NU. It's great if you want to help, but the quality is a lot higher if you have a large amount of metagame knowledge. Don't worry, I'm not too picky. If it is accepted you will simply be added to the OP, I will try to only post after quite a few updates or a rejection. Please do not expect a post accepting every reservation.

Click to expand...

This is an OU threatlist so I don't know how NU knowledge influences this.

Moderator

Zapdos is part of a small group that has remained in OU all four generations, and it's easy to see why. A unique Electric / Flying typing gives it five resistances and an immunity to the bane of all Electric-types, Earthquake. With respectable natural bulk, reliable recovery, just two weaknesses (one if Roost is used), and Pressure, Zapdos is capable of walling many opponents. One of its most common sets a physically defensive one, one of the best counters to Scizor and Ice Punch-lacking Lucario. Unlike most defensive Pokemon, Zapdos also has base 125 Special Attack and base 100 Speed as well as handy STAB and coverage moves in Thunderbolt, Heat Wave, and Hidden Power, usually Grass or Ice, that enable it to hit back hard. With Substitute and Toxic in its moveset, Zapdos forms the well-known SubRoost set, with a semi-immunity to status, whittling down the opponent with Toxic and healing with Roost. Zapdos can go a more specially defensive route, walling a different set of Pokemon. In place of any of its coverage moves or Toxic, Zapdos can also run Roar to shuffle the opponent around.

RMT Leader

DescriptionGreat stats, good typing and formidable movepool make Tyranitar one of the most versatile threat in OU. The most common sets include Choice Scarf, Choice Band and Dragon Dance, all of which focusing on its monstruous Attack stat, with the Choice sets carrying the ever useful Pursuit, allowing it to remove dangerous foes such as Rotom-A, Gengar and Starmie. The most common moves on these sets are Stone Edge, Crunch, Earthquake, Superpower, Fire Punch and Ice Punch. Even though the physical attacking variations are the most popular, Tyranitar is more than capable of utilizing Special Attacks, having great movepool including Fire Blast, Dark Pulse, Ice Beam and Thunderbolt turning it into a powerful mixed wallbreaker. With its ability Sand Stream (useful for negating Focus Sash) and access to Stealth Rock, Tyranitar can also be a very useful lead, having a good match-up against other popular leads such as Starmie and Azelf. Finally Tyranitar is an excellent lure for a team looking to get rid of a threat such as Scizor, which is a common switch-in for Tyranitar, only to get KO'ed by Flamethrower after Bullet Punch's power was reduced by Babiri Berry.

Moderator

Flygon is one of the best Choice Scarf revenge killers in the game. Powerful STAB moves in Outrage and Earthquake give it all the coverage it needs, resisted only by Skarmory and Bronzong. Not only that, but it can also use U-turn to scout an opponent's moveset and gain momentum. Flygon will also be carrying a coverage move, usually Stone Edge or Fire Blast. It will also sometimes use ThunderPunch, as Flygon with a Choice Scarf can outspeed +1 Gyarados. A Choice Scarf is Flygon's most common set, but will sometimes go mixed, using a combination of Draco Meteor, Earthquake, and Fire Blast alongside Roost to dish out damage to anything that doesn't resist it. Flygon will also opt to use a Choice Band for greater power.

Mamoswine is can be an effective physical attacker once the things that wall it are removed. It has all of the tools: an off-the-charts Attack stat, a great STAB combination, and a powerful priority attack, Ice Shard no less. Its Earthquake steamrolls through all but the bulkiest of resists, holding the crown of the most powerful Ground-type attack commonly found in OU. An Ice Shard coming from it is one of the most potent attacks found in OU, allowing it to revenge kill common Dragon-types, such as Dragonite and Flygon. It also has access to powerful coverage moves like Stone Edge and Superpower, the latter putting a dent in the only common Pokemon that resists Mamoswine's STABs, Bronzong. Stealth Rock and Endeavor allow it to function as an excellent lead, with the Endeavor + Ice Shard combination being a great way to ensure that opposing leads faint. Its typing makes it immune to both sandstorm and hail and takes away the curse of being weak to Stealth Rock that is normally attributed to Ice-types. To top all of this off, Mamoswine has a useful ability in Snow Cloak that allows it to abuse hail with a 20% boost to its evasion.

Blissey is and has always been the premier special wall of OU, barring Chansey in RBY. Its gigantic HP and Special Defense stats allow it to wall most special attackers in existence that lack Explosion, the few that can beat it including SubSplit Gengar and CroCune. With 255 base HP, its absolutely horrific Defense stat is alleviated, allowing it to take some physical hits from some walls and cripple them with Toxic. It has all of the support options it could ever need, including a recovery move, status moves, Wish, and Aromatherapy. These allow it to take on many roles, including a Wish passer to keep the rest of the team healthy, a cleric to keep the rest of the team free of status, or even a paralysis spreader to allow some slower Pokemon to shine. It can even setup Stealth Rock if desired, finding many opportunities throughout the match against numerous special attackers that it walls oh-so-well. Yet another plus is its usable Special Attack stat and expansive special movepool, including notable options like Flamethrower and Ice Beam, the former for Steel-types and the latter for Dragon- and Flying-types. With all of this, it even gets the ability Natural Cure to heal off all status, including the Toxic that most every wall deathly fears. Blissey can also run some Speed EVs to outspeed certain threats like Scizor and KO with the appropriate move, in Scizor's case Fire Blast, due to its access to many coverage moves, the aforementioned Fire Blast, Ice Beam, and Thunderbolt being the most notable.

Empoleon has quite a few movesets it can run, though many are not all that common. Regardless, it has many different options that it can run, each with a different set of checks and counters. Its most common set features Substitute, Agility, 2 attacks, and a Petaya Berry, aiming to use Substitute whilst boosting its low Speed in order to reach Petaya Berry range, from where it can use its likely boosted Speed and +1 Special Attack from the Petaya Berry to sweep unhindered once certain threats are out of the way. In addition, once Empoleon has used Substitute to a range where Petaya Berry is activated, it is also in Torrent range, which makes its STAB Water-type attacks even more powerful. Empoleon also has access to Stealth Rock and Aqua Jet to function as a great lead, Stealth Rock near-guaranteed to be setup with Aqua Jet to finish off leads down to their Focus Sash. It can even utilize Choice Specs effectively with its solid Special Attack stat and access to great moves like Hydro Pump, Ice Beam, and Grass Knot to get great coverage against the majority of Pokemon.

Heatran is the face of DPP OU, consistently one of the most-used Pokemon in the tier, and it doesn't take much digging to figure out why. Its typing gives it the resistances of a Steel-type and the coverage of a Fire-type, along with a neutrality to the ever-so-common Stealth Rock instead of the weakness that plagues most Fire-types. Its main set is a Stealth Rock lead with Shuca Berry, allowing it to setup Stealth Rock against the likes of Metagross and Flygon. That set may also use Passho Berry to setup Stealth Rock against any lead carrying a Water-type attack, such as Empoleon or Gyarados. It can also don a Choice Scarf to revenge kill many top threats, taking away any issues Heatran may have with Speed and utilizing its excellent coverage, STAB Fire-type moves, and Explosion to take down special walls by sacrificing itself. However, those are only a few of Heatran's many options. Heatran can also use Torment to annoy opponents to great effect, as well as Magma Storm to function as a trapper. Substitute, Choice Specs, and Life Orb are all just as threatening offensive options, the former protecting Heatran from faster Pokemon with STAB Water-, Fighting-, and Ground-type attacks. It can also utilize Metal Sound to allow Fire Blast and its coverage moves to hit even resists and special walls hard, particularly allowing Heatran to defeat Blissey without fainting itself in the process. It even has access to Taunt, which prevents paralysis and sleep from crippling Heatran. Heatran can literally fill any role and excel at it, so beware whenever it leaves its Poke Ball, lest it tear apart one's team.

RMT Leader

DescriptionLucario is a fearsome sweeper that can dismantle many teams after very little set up. With an above average Attack stat and the very potent Fighting type, it can do some serious damage even to the bulkiest physical walls. The most popular set is without a doubt the Swords Dance one, usually consisting of Swords Dance, Close Combat, ExtremeSpeed, and one of Crunch, Bullet Punch or Stone Edge. Lucario can also fix its average speed using Agility instead of Swords Dance, giving it the opportunity to mow down frail offensive teams. Its great typing gives it a quadruple resistance to Stealth Rock and plenty of opportnities to set up. Even then, it still has great Special Attack allowing it to use a Choice Specs set very effectively with Aura Sphere, Shadow Ball, Hidden Power Ice and Vaccuum Wave. Finally, Lucario can be turned in a fine revenge killer using Choice Scarf with Close Combat, Crunch, Ice Punch and Thunderpunch.

Scizor is easily the most popular priority user in OU because of the sheer power of Technician Bullet Punch. Coupled with one of the highest Attack stats in OU, Scizor is sure to hit faster, frailer threats very hard. The Choice Band set is the most commonly seen, usually including Bullet Punch, U-turn, Superpower and Pursuit, sometimes replacing the latter with Quick Attack. It is often used to revenge kill threats such as Dragons locked into Outrage, or weakened ones that do not resist Bullet Punch. However Scizor is capable of utilizing its great priority move, good typing and capacity to force switches to use Swords Dance to boost its already high attack turning it into a powerful late-game cleaner. Scizor is also capable of surprising the opponent with a Choice Scarf set bringing its speed above base 115, which include pokémon like Starmie, who normally check Scizor. This set uses almost the same moves as the Choice Band set, albeit sometimes replacing Bullet Punch with Iron Head for the higher power, given that Bullet Punch's priority is now less beneficial.

Description
With a generous base 115 Speed, an higher than average base 100 Special Attack and extraordinary coverage, Starmie is without a doubt one of the best late-game cleaners in OU. The Life Orb set is terrifying to face because of the devastating power it packs. Usually consisting of Hydro Pump (or Surf), Thunderbolt, Ice Beam and one of Recover and Rapid Spin, the coverage it has is only resisted by Shedinja, which is very rare due to Tyranitar's Sand Stream and the prevalence of Stealth Rock. Altough Starmie's coverage makes Life Orb the most popular item choice, it is by no means a bad user of other items such as Choice Specs and Choice Scarf. The first turns Starmie into a devastating powerhouse capable of crippling common switch-ins such as Blissey with Trick, while the latter makes it an awesome revenge killer capable of putting an end to the sweep of common threats such as Gyarados and Dragonite, while also being able to use Trick. Finally, Starmie is an awesome lead because of its great Speed and access to Rapid Spin: it is able to bring many common leads to 1 HP due to Focus Sash and then KO them using Rapid Spin while also removing Stealth Rock from the field for the rest of the game.

Description
Despite being one of the most versatile Pokémon in existence, Azelf is most commonly seen as a suicide lead. With a great base 115 Speed, access to moves such as Stealth Rock, U-turn, Explosion, Taunt and useful attacking moves against other leads including Fire Blast and Psychic, it is easy to understand why Azelf would run such a set. Lead Azelf also commonly runs both Reflect and Light Screen to support an heavy offense team. While all of its support options are great, Azelf isn't bad on the offensive side: 125 attacking stats are more than good. Access to Nasty Plot means it can be a devastating sweeper in the end of the game with the coverage that Psychic, Fire Blast, Hidden Power Fighting and Grass Knot grants, usually running one of the latter two. It can even choose to forego Nasty Plot for an all-out offensive set which switches Nasty Plot with Explosion, allowing it to nail the likes of Blissey with a powerful blast. Finally, Choice items can fit Azelf very well since it has great movepool and access to Trick, with physical versions usually running Zen Headbutt, Fire Punch, and two of these three: U-turn, Explosion and Trick, while special ones prefer Psychic, Flamethrower, Grass Knot and one of these: U-turn, Explosion or Trick.

As an offensive Pokemon, Jirachi is known for three prominent sets. Taking advantage of its ability Serene Grace, Jirachi can afford to utilize Iron Head, U-Turn, the elemental punches, and the occasional Zen Headbutt to be quite the physical nuisance, especially when equipped with a Choice Scarf to revenge kill most Pokemon, including Flygon, Scizor, Starmie, and Tyranitar. Jirachi can also utilize an Expert Belt to feign a Choice Scarf with the same moves to surprise slower teams and becoming a greater nuisance against them, sometimes running Thunderbolt, Grass Knot, and Hidden Power Ice too. Jirachi can also utilize its amazing Steel / Psychic defensive typing and 100 / 100 / 100 defensive stats to take advantage of a Calm Mind set. With Substitute, Wish, Thunderbolt, Psychic, and Flash Cannon at its disposal, Jirachi can be quite a pest to most teams. Faster versions of Calm Mind Jirachi, dubbed "Superrachi," take advantage of Jirachi's base 100 Speed to outspeed commmon checks to Jirachi and utilize the aforementioned moves in addition to Hidden Power Ground, specifically to defeat Heatran, who otherwise walls any Jirachi that lacks it.

Celebi is blessed with having both decent offenses, Speed, and excellent bulk, all making it a perfect candidate for a bulky attacker. It can utilize setup moves like Nasty Plot and Calm Mind in combination with Recover and its great movepool to sweep teams with the right support. Its STAB moves on their own already have decent coverage, and adding in Hidden Power Fire or Earth Power allows it to hit Steel-types super effectively. Psychic, in addition to being a powerful STAB, keeps slower Fighting-types with super effective coverage moves at bay. With access to Leaf Storm and an array of useful coverage moves, Celebi can run a support move + 3 attacks set. Last but definitely not least, it can combine both its offensive and defensive traits into a set commonly known as Tinkerbell, which utilizes Thunder Wave to cripple fast opponents, Leaf Storm for power, a coverage move, and a recovery move. The main advantage Celebi has as an offensive Pokemon is its typing, as while it may be a curse against U-turn users, it also provides solid resists to Ground, Fighting, Electric, Psychic, and Water that allow it multiple switch-ins. Its versatility as an offensive Pokemon means that you will never know exactly what it is running, and one wrong guess can give Celebi an opportunity to setup or hit something hard.

Magnezone's claim to fame is its ability to kill bulky Steel-types like Skarmory and Forretress that wall many otherwise nigh-uncounterable Pokemon. It does so by trapping them with Magnet Pull and then proceeding to do basically whatever it wants. It can utilize Substitute, leaving it free wear down Steel-types and just generally hitting hard with Thunderbolt with whatever Hidden Power it wants for coverage and Explosion for Blissey in the last slot. Alternatively, Magnezone can use Magnet Rise instead of Explosion and get a temporary immunity to Ground-type moves. A Choice Scarf set can revenge kill common Steel-types that it normally falls to, including Lucario and Scizor. With Choice Specs attached, Magnezone is turned into a powerhouse, steamrolling through anything that does not resist its STABs. Magnezone can even throw all of this behind and setup dual screens via trapping Steel-types.

RMT Leader

Description
Kingdra is easily one of the most dangerous sweepers in OU because of its great combination of bulk, typing and movepool. While the latter might not be as impressive as its Dragon- typed brethen it includes pretty much anything Kingdra needs. Sets including the ever popular Dragon Dance are the most commonly seen, notably the Chesto Berry + Rest set, made of Rest, Outrage, Waterfall and Dragon Dance, or the Substitue + Dragon Dance set using the same moves as the previous set, swapping Rest for Substitute. Kingdra's typing reduces the exploitable weaknesses a boosting sweeper can have and makes it much more difficult to revenge kill. Despite Kingdra's immense potential as a physical boosting sweeper, it can use the great coverage granted by its STAB and run a powerful Choice Specs set. Using the sheer power of Hydro Pump and Draco Meteor and the reliability of Surf and Dragon Pulse, it turns Kingdra into an absolute monster which is incredibly difficult to switch into. But Kingdra's Special Attacking options are not limited to Choice Specs. It can run an extremely powerful Rain Dance set using Rain Dance, Hydro Pump, Dragon Pulse and one of Signal Beam and Hidden Power Electric, which is an extremely destructive late-game sweeper that requires very little set-up, boosting both of its Speed and Water STAB to incredible levels. It can also run a variant of this set sacrficing its coverage move for Waterfall, allowing Kingdra to break through special walls such as Blissey.

With great bulk and a good defensive typing in Water, Vaporeon is a great pivot for many teams. It is typically seen running a Wish support set, using Wish and Protect to heal itself or simply switching out after Wish to heal up an ally. Surf is its standard STAB attack, and its last slot normally contains either a coverage move (such as Hidden Power Electric or Ice Beam) or a support option (usually Toxic or Roar). It can also run an effective Baton Pass set on dedicated teams, often passing a combination of Substitute, Wish, Acid Armor, or Aqua Ring. Most Vaporeon are EVed to maximize physical bulk, as its special bulk is already superb. Despite this, it is easier to prey on its weaker Defense when trying to break through Vaporeon.

Ruiner of Alph

The reservation list is now up to date. Steven Snype, Infernape was already reserved, sorry. Also, you didn't specify Offensive or Defensive Jirachi, so I put you down for both. Let me know if you just want to do one of them, though. Also, fuck it, I'll reserve Breloom as well~

Also, please do not edit your posts. Double or triple post if you have to. Pokemon0078 and Jirachi, I almost missed Magnezone and Kingdra there X__X

If Pokemon were The Goonies, Metagross would be Chunk. Slow, but quite bulky, Metagross is a formidable foe. Everyone seems to forget him until he shows up with that gigantic Attack stat. Even when uninvested in Attack, STAB Meteor Mash hurts everything that doesn't resist it. With a CB, even Pokemon that resist Steel won't like switching into Metagross often, especially if it gets an Attack raise or worse, a critical hit. Defensive Pokemon will not appreciate being Tricked a Choice Band either. Metagross is typically the average Pokemon player's Stealth Rock user and a common lead as it can also explode to make a hole in the opponent's team and let a teammate come in for free. To help overcome its mediocre Speed, Metagross can finish off faster foes with Bullet Punch. Metagross can also use Agility to nab a boost in Speed and sweep frailer, offensive teams with Meteor Mash, Earthquake, an elemental punch, or Zen headbutt. In the same vein, Metagross can utilize Choice Scarf for a surprise instantaneous Speed boost to take out faster attackers. Naturally, Metagross' typical counters are immune to Earthquake and resist Meteor Mash. Fortunately, Metagross gets around that easily with the combination of Trick and Iron Ball. Metagross is also capable of running a mixed set with Psychic, Hidden Power Fire, and Grass Knot to make itself a bigger nuisance to Rotom-A, Forretress, and Swampert.

Ruiner of Alph

Solid special bulk, a decent defensive typing, and a great support movepool combine to make Tentacruel a top notch wall in OU. It can clear hazards away with Rapid Spin, and even absorbs Toxic Spikes merely by switching in. Speaking of Toxic Spikes, Tentacruel sets them up with ease. Typically, it runs both moves, with Surf and a coverage attack to maintain some offensive pressure on the opponent as well. Base 100 Speed is a great boon to any wall. It's also a handy check to Infernape (without ThunderPunch), one of the biggest threats to most stall teams. Tentacruel's biggest drawback is its far frailer physical defense, along with a weakness to the ever so common Earthquake.

Ruiner of Alph

If you could all please format your additions to look like the one below (i.e., DPP sprite, link to DPP analysis, Type, Base Stats, and Ability, followed by the paragraph), it would make my job of organizing all of the write-ups at the end easier, just sayin'~

While it might not look like much, Ludicolo is a top threat in the rain. It's unique Water / Grass typing offers good offensive coverage, resisted only by Dragon- and Grass-types, which Ice Beam hits super effectively. Usually, Ludicolo will set up rain to power up its Surf or Hydro Pump while doubling its Speed thanks to Swift Swim. Although normally a special attacker, Ludicolo can also run a surprise Swords Dance set that punishes Blissey switch-ins, though it needs Rain Dance support from a teammate to function optimally. Resistances to the common Earthquake, Surf, and Bullet Punch provide it with several opportunities to set up rain or a Swords Dance throughout the battle. Once Rain Dance's timer runs out, however, it's a sitting duck for any powerful physical hits from faster sweepers.

Raikou's base Speed lets it Speed tie with Starmie and Azelf as well as outspeed Infernape, Gengar, and everything in the Base 100 Speed tier. A STAB Thunderbolt coming off of a 329 Special Attack Stat scares off most frail Pokemon. Hidden Power Ice and Hidden Power Grass complement its coverage to take out bulky Grounds that are immune to Thunderbolt. Shadow Ball hits Rotom-A and Celebi, Pokemon that resist Thunderbolt, for supereffective damage. Hidden Power Fighting is also an option to dent Tyranitar. Furthermore, Raikou can capitalize on its switches to use Calm Mind to make it a bigger threat. Raikou can also afford to use its 90 / 75 / 100 defenses to set up a Substitute and Calm Mind, living weaker attacks to set up for a sweep. Raikou can also utilize a Choice set efficiently. Choice Specs Raikou hits for more damage, whereas Choice Scarf Raikou can revenge faster threats, such as Infernape, Azelf, and Starmie. Raikou also has Aura Sphere in its arsenal, but because it is an event-only move, Raikou is forced to run a Rash nature and deal with being slower than Infernape, Gengar, Starmie, and Azelf.

Hitmontop's main defensive niche is that it's a spinner with the option of taking out threats that normally defeat it. Base 70 Speed means that it outspeeds Tyranitar, one of the most prominent threats in the game, something that fellow Fighting-type Machamp wishes it could do. Intimidate cuts most physical attackers' Attack stat, making it easier for teammates to switch in. Rapid Spin and Foresight guarantee the removal of hazards. STAB Close Combat is great and generally lures in Ghost- and Flying-types, which have to deal with Sucker Punch, Pursuit, and Stone Edge. Unfortunately, Hitmontop is forced to rely on Rest as its only source of recovery. However, Hitmontop has a small offensive niche. In a similar vein to Scizor's Technician and Bullet Punch / Quick Attack, Hitmontop's Technician functions with Hitmontop's Mach Punch, Fake Out, Bullet Punch, and Pursuit to finish off weakened frail Pokemon.

Despite the Jubilee pokemon's appearance, Togekiss can be a terror to face. Togekiss is granted a heavenly ability, Serene Grace, which she can abuse with air slash having a 60% flinch rate with Serene Grace (70% chance of the opponent being unable to move when paralyzed). Furthermore, Togekiss gets near perfect With just two moves: Air Slash and Aura Sphere. Infact, That move duo only misses out on Zapdos and the Rotoms. In addition, Togekiss is blessed with 85/95/115 defenses and access to instant recovery moves making her very bulky. She also has a dangerous 120 base sp. att which she can boost even higher with the excellent boosting move nasty plot. Though having a rather average base 80 speed, she can make great use of a choice scarf having perfect coverage in 3 moves and access to trick. Togekiss can even make a physical set with hustle, life orb, and extreme speed. Don't under-estimate, Togekiss or you may be flinched till the point of insanity.

Having great 85/95/115 defenses and a large support movepool, Togekiss makes for a fantastic defensive pokemon. Togekiss can take on rolls such as, Baton Passing Nasty Plots, Spreading status with Thumder Wave and Tri Attack, healing with Wish and Heal Bell, and even setting up dual screens. Togekiss is also no sitting duck possessing a base 120 SpA. Having reliable recovery and great bulk, Togekiss is sure to stay awhile. Not all is great for Togekiss though, as Stealth Rock chips 25% of her health making switches difficult. All in all, Togekiss makes for a very efficient supporter, despite the competition for a spot on a team.

Moderator

Once hailed as the only special attacker able to OHKO Blissey, Porygon-Z boasts the highest Special Attack in OU with two killer abilities that allow it to boost its attacks to sky-high levels. Porygon-Z can run a variety of sets, but using mostly the same coverage: Tri Attack, Dark Pulse, a Hidden Power, usually Fighting, Ground, or Fire, and Ice Beam. The most common set uses Choice Specs to blast serious holes in any opponent, even heavily dedicated walls. It also can use Agility or Nasty Plot to beat foes that outspeed it or outright OHKO many walls. Porygon-Z can also utilize a Choice Scarf, outpacing many foes that would beat it previously and function as a viable revenge killer. Beating Porygon-Z boils down to mostly knowing its set, but until that point it should remain a big red flag in your opponent's team.

Gallade is a unique Pokemon, boasting some of the highest Attack and Special Defense stats for any Fighting-type. While its Speed may be lackluster, top-notch coverage and the ability to increase its Attack with Swords Dance still make it very dangerous. Gallade is also one of the best anti-leads available, able to best Machamp, Azelf, Heatran, Aerodactyl, and Gengar. Thanks to Steadfast, it can use an opponent's Fake Out to its advantage, boosting its Speed. A STAB Close Combat coming off a base 125 Attack and boosted by a Life Orb is nothing to joke about, and Gallade will also commonly carry Zen Headbutt, Stone Edge, Ice Punch, or Shadow Sneak, giving it all the coverage it needs to beat common Fighting-type counters.

I would like to reserve Dusknoir and Toxicroak. Also, I don't believe that Starmie should be a defensive threat, seeing as there's no set on-site and would be mostly a gimmick

Also, should we be using D/P sprites or Platinum sprites, as many of them differ.

EDIT (man I'm doing this a lot...): 200th post! And a pretty good one, too...

Moderator

Armed with some of the biggest defensive stats in OU, a boosted Attack stat from its pre-evolution, and Will-O-Wisp, Dusknoir is ready to take on most offensive threats. Facing a heavy amount of competition as a spinblocker from Rotom-A, Dusknoir can still find places to do its job. Dusknoir will almost always be running Will-O-Wisp, allowing it to cripple almost every physical attacker in OU, including Gyarados, Scizor, and Tyranitar. It makes a great counter to Machamp, as Dusknoir is slower and thus does not take boosted damage from Payback. It can also use coverage moves, such as the elemental punches and Earthquake, to get the jump on many common Will-O-Wisp absorbers, including Infernape and Heatran. Lacking a reliable recovery move, Dusknoir can still use Pain Split to great effect, especially on Pokemon like Blissey, considering its extremely low base 45 HP. If all else fails, Dusknoir can use Shadow Sneak to pick off weakened foes, such as Gengar or Starmie. A set with Substitute and Focus Punch can be used for more power.

Moderator

While Toxicroak's stats leave much to be desired, it makes up for it with a great movepool. Access to fantastic priority attacks, powerful STAB moves, and a handy immunity in Dry Skin to Water-type attacks give Toxicroak ample opportunities to come in and damage opponents. Toxicroak often carries Cross Chop, Sucker Punch, and Swords Dance, though is not unknown to use Substitute and Focus Punch. However, Toxicroak has no way to boost its Speed, and even with multiple options for priority, will often wind up being revenge killed.